Aliyev`s remarks about Sevan put Pashinyan in an "awkward position,"  prompting the need to "clarify" them

ArmInfo.  "Your question puts me in a difficult position," Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told a journalist on November 4 during the "Orbeli: Building Peace and Multilateral Cooperation" international forum, commenting on  Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's statement that "there is no Lake  Sevan  on imperial maps, there is Goycha," and that Azerbaijanis  "should return there not in tanks, but in cars." In this regard,  Pashinyan was asked whether Aliyev's statement signified a step back  from the peace process. "Before answering your question, I'm faced  with a dilemma:  should I really emphasize that this statement by the  Azerbaijani president doesn't reflect the full picture?  Because the  Azerbaijani president stated that Lake Sevan doesn't exist on the  maps of Tsarist Russia, but rather has a different name," Pashinyan  said.

The situation, as Pashinyan noted, is awkward, as instead of  answering the question, he will first have to clarify the Azerbaijani  leader's words.

Regarding the topic of "return," as Pashinyan pointed out, it is a  very dangerous thing for the logic of peace. "From what point, from  what year, does the period of the formation of the Historical  Homeland begin to be calculated? For instance, can the 70s BC be a  starting point or not? Some say the most legitimate historical  starting point is the period from March to November 1920, and they  can justify this.  Others say we need to go back 500 years. Whose  historical truth is behind it? After all, by this logic, many can  make various territorial claims against many countries," Pashinyan  added.

"In Azerbaijan, they ask why Nagorno-Karabakh flags are hanging in  the Armenian parliament and say, 'If that's the case, we'll say  'Goycha,'" the Armenian Prime Minister continued. In this regard,  Nikol Pashinyan called for people to stop dwelling in the past and  focus on the present. "We are capable of assuming political  leadership. If anyone has refused or refuses, let them say so  directly; there's no need for hints," he concluded.

Recall that recently, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, addressing  the Academy of Sciences, instructed scientists to substantiate the  right of return, stating that the time has come for this, while  Azerbaijan is at the peak of its strength. The Baku leader, in his  characteristic manner of "interpreting" history, reiterated that  Armenians were allegedly resettled to Karabakh by Tsarist Russia from  Iran and Anatolia, and that most toponyms in Armenia, including Lake  Sevan (which he called "Goycha"), are of "Azerbaijani origin," a  claim confirmed by "maps of the Russian Empire."

Speaking about the "return" of Azerbaijanis, Aliyev reiterated his  thesis that this should not frighten Armenia, as it should occur "in  cars, not tanks," but emphasized that the primary responsibility for  implementing this idea rests with the state. The Azerbaijani  president directly called on academic circles to intensify their work  to ensure that the return of Azerbaijanis to Armenia "sounds  completely logical and fair" to the international community. This  narrative has been promoted for many years by Baku through the  organization "Western Azerbaijan Community" (formerly "Union of  Refugees"), which since 2022 has been promoting the agenda of  "return" to the territory of the Republic of Armenia.